Let the Right One In is a coming of age tale that gets bitten by a vampire. Movie goers seeking strictly a horror movie or love story will probably be disappointed. There are elements of both gore and romance but the heart of the movie is about two outcasts finding comfort in each other. Oskar is a twelve year old boy relentlessly bullied by his classmates and Eli leads a sheltered existence as a vampire. However, do not be deceived into thinking this a romanticized version of a vampire. Eli craves blood and makes no apologies for feeding. Oskar is not deterred by this discovery because he possesses a fascination with violence as a tool for revenge. Eli encourages Oskar to stick up for himself and Oskar reminds Eli of what it is like to be human.
There are flaws in this movie. For instance, there is a scene with very bad computer animated cats. It was jarring and it left one to wonder if it was needed at all. None of the flaws outweigh the disturbing beauty of this movie though. There are so many elements that were seamlessly woven together that it is easy to forgive a few shortcomings. With the popularity of Twilight and the series True Blood, it would be easy to dismiss this as just another vampire tale. That would be a mistake because, though there is a vampire element, Let the Right One In is so much more.
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